Archive for category adventure

Hanging with some of the Army Volunteers who cheered us racers on at Merrell Down and Dirty

I am up and clean after the Merrell Down & Dirty rocked Aurora Sports Park yesterday. The race is especially unique because of the military personell volunteering at the race. At each obstacle they were there to not only encourage us but push us event if it meant push ups! My running quickly came to a stop as I approached an obstacle that required us to pick up two heavy sand bags and maneuver around cones. “Don’t slow your pace, come on and keep running.” I looked up at a man decked out in his full Army gear and realized he was right. Thinking of everything our miltary endures, I picked up those sand bags and ran through the next obstacle. At each checkpoint from there I looked forward to the tough encouragment. From climbing cargo nets, through tunnels and even sand I gained energy.

And boy was I ready for the after party. This is not event to head into with an agenda to speed out of. The grills are fired up and the speakers are blasting. Obstacle and adventure style races have to compete just as much as the next guy to get racers to this event. This family friendly course has definitely met it’s niche.

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I also had the chance to interview Scott Roegner with Merrell Down and Dirty to find out what else makes this race stand out.

10,000 anxious runners lined up across a start line in Denver’s City Park all wearing similar attire on May 26th. White shirts are must if you are participating in the Color Run. Speakers jammed with upbeat music on a beautiful Colorado day to welcome runners to the happiest 5k on the planet. The event was not timed- fun overrides score keeping.

At each 1k mark runners roll through a color zone and are drenched with a powdery substance. By the end of the race runners were splashed with turquoise, purple, yellow, pink and green. After crossing the finish line runners celebrated thier new vibrant style in front of a jam packed stage. Runners danced to music and reached high to grab individual bags packed with more powdered color. On cue, those with bags in hand sprayed the color into the air sprinkling the crowd with more shades.

Proceeds of Denver’s Run will help color the world of patients at Children’s Hospital.

This coming Sunday you can bend, stretch and contort into yoga poses in Denver’s Great Outdoors. Yoga Rocks the Park is kicking off it’s 4th season at the Sunken Gardens at 9:30 a.m. while the birds are still chirping. Yoga Rocks the Park is scheduled at various Denver parks through September 16. Each week a different musician accompanies the yoga practice as well as a new teacher.

The creator of Yoga Rocks the Park, Erik Vienneau, calls outdoor yoga a grassroots movement. When he started the program four years ago he wasn’t sure that anyone would show up. “I was amazed to see people walking towards me with yoga mats ,” says Vienneau. About thirty people showed up for the first event. Now, numbers reach into the hundreds.

“It feeds the need. It’s bigger than yoga. People are here to connect.” reveals Vienneau.

5 reasons to give outdoor yoga a go.

1.It will invigorate your practice and shake you from a routine studio.

2. Outdoor classes add a new dimension by bringing yoga back to it’s original link with nature.

The Rugged Maniac in Lakewood, CO reached new heights and shattered a record in the process. Temperatures fell below 50 degrees F. making this race the coldest Rugged Maniac penciled into the books. The rain fell fast and steady, matching the heart beats of thousands of racers anxiously awaiting the start. BANG! And we were off, slipping, sliding, grinding with every bit of grit and determination we could muster to attack this Rugged Maniac!

Rolling dirt hills became muddy terrain providing no traction for racers. Rain soaked ropes meant to help racers summit steep hills became so slick they were tough to grip. Splashing into pools to maneuver over lap lanes sent chills down participant’s mud covered bodies.

The Rugged Maniac is in the running for the toughest obstacle Run, With a course jam packed with obstacles racers have no time to catch their breath before it’s time to face a new fear. One of the most unique obstacles is the Normandy climb. Dive into underground tunnels with no lights or sound seeping through. After you make your way back onto ground, get ready for more.

Missed Colorado? To sign up for other nation-wide events visit Rugged Maniac.com

The set up for Rugged Maniac is no picnic in the park. The crew heads West a week before the race to start constructing the obstacles. “Our obstacles are some of the biggest and baddest,” says COO of Rugged Maniac, Rob Dickens. How could you argue when they are designed by Navy Seals?

Dickens says the intensity of the obstacles is similar to what you will find at Tough Mudder, with one exception. “Rugged Maniac is a distance people can handle, so it’s more accessible to people.” The course zooms by with twenty obstacles packed into a 5k course. A new obstacle this year will challenge racers by climbing ladders up and over massive stacked shipping containers. They will also encounter the Normandy Crawl, reminiscent of World War II; guiding racers to climb under wires and through mud filled tubes. Not to worry you won’t be in the crosshairs of fire, but go quick and watch your hands and feet!

Pump up the jams, because the after party has a reputation for being a rockin’ good time and if the race wasn’t enough of a gut check, the party will be! Once the kegs are tapped the beer won’t stop flowing until it’s gone, with music blasting and people cheering. Look for the mechanical bull, beer pong tables and inflatables to keep everyone in the party going strong.

It may be old-fashioned but snow tubing will forever be hip. Tubing hills at Frisco Adventure Park feature five fast paced 1,200 foot tubing lanes. The best part is a magic carpet zips you right back to the top of the hill so you can fly right back on down. When it comes to getting to the bottom, enthusiastic operators offer several options- Race your rivals down separate chutes, be spun discus-thrower style or even with a powerful shove. If you get enough speed you may even get some air to fly over the hills. You can also team up in doubles, triples or quadruples in a circular chain. All ages from kids to grandparents are out for the experience. The frosty chutes don’t shut down at sunset, giving you the chance to ride into nightfall.

Snow tubing is a great alternative to skiing or boarding while still enjoying the thrills of the high country. Especially if you are short on time and looking to show out of town guests what the Colorado Mountain scene is all about.

Frisco is located off I-70 near Breckenridge. The Tubing Hill is open Monday & Thursday from 11-6 & from 11-8 Friday through Sunday. One-hour sessions start every 15 minutes for $25. Reservations are recommended.You cancall 970-668-2558or go online to ActivityReg.com. There is also a terrain park, downhill slopes for skiers and boarders and trails for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing at the adventure park.